When I read Alex Snyder’s article titled “Are You Being Left Behind?” it confirmed that data PCG has been collecting on dealership investments in digital marketing education should be shared here first.

We polled dealers about their investments in Digital Marketing education and some of the responses tie right into what Alex said in his post.  So before I add my commentary, here are a few questions and answers from the PCG Digital Marketing survey.

Keep in mind that the responses are skewed towards enlightened dealers.  Since the survey was promoted on Twitter, Facebook, and social media channels; only the most connected dealers most likely responded.  This should give you even more of a case for Alex’s point about investing in the next generation of dealership leaders.

Staffing and Budgeting

1.  Do you have an employee tasked with managing your digital marketing and social media?

• Full Time – 58.3%
  
• Part Time – 22.3%
  
• No – 19.4%

2.  Do you feel that the EXISTING dealership staff has the TIME and SKILLS to create and manage a competitive digital marketing and social media strategy for the year ahead?

• Yes – 41.7%
  
• No – 58.3%

3.  Do you have an annual budget to train your existing staff to increase their skills and knowledge in the area of social media and digital marketing?

• Yes – 40.8%
  
• No – 59.2%

I’ll let you make your own comments, but what I see from the data is lack of action, not lack of knowledge.  Over 65% of those taking the survey had the authority to invest money into educating their staff yet they chose not do.

Ironically, 58% of those survey felt that their internal team was not able to create a competitive digital marketing and social media strategy.

Creating Internship Programs

In industries outside of automotive retailing, new talent, skills, and a future workforce is introduced to various career path via Internship Programs.   So we asked dealers if they had considered creating an Internship program to attract the skills and knowledge that their current workforce was missing.

As Alex pointed out, the next generation of workers has grown up with many of the tools that are standard operating procedure for growing businesses outside of automotive retailing.

4.  Have you considered starting an internship program at your dealership for social media and digital marketing in partnership with a local college or university?

• Yes – 39.8%
  
• No – 60.2%

(Note: Of those that said that they considered an internship program, only 11% said that they had a program up an running.)



5.  For those that answered “No” above, can you select the reasons why the internship program never got off the ground?

1. We didn't have the knowledge to properly train the intern – 23.8%
   
2. We didn't have the time to properly train the intern – 47.6%
   
3. We didn't have enough work to keep the busy – 19%
   
4. We couldn't attract the right candidates 14.3%
   
5. We needed to create a program and curriculum for the school to approve. 47.6%
   
6. We didn't have a desk for them to work at 4.8%

The PCG survey data gave me the impression that dealers are like deer caught in the headlights.  They admit that their staff is not fully trained; yet 60% said they had no budget set aside for education.   This number is more likely to be 80% if we could survey all dealers who are not active online.

The fact they dealers thought about creating an intern program but could not teach initiates or create a curriculum that would be approved by colleges amplifies the problems that dealers are facing.

In 2011, dealers need to consider the implications of not investing in the skills development that their employees need to be successful.  How will dealers build the next generation of leaders if they can’t attract bright minds that have energy, passion, and digital entrepreneurial skills?

Leaving eCommerce Directors home from NADA, as Alex points out, is a mistake.  The greater mistake is to “leave them behind” all year.

AutoRevenue Reputation Management Solution

Lee, Mass., January 26, 2011 - @utoRevenue, the industry leader in retention marketing for auto dealers nationwide and a division of Dominion Dealer Solutions, today announced its plans to release an all-new dealership reputation management suite of services for auto dealers at NADA 2011.

The 360-degree reputation management solution provides dealers with an innovative approach to tracking, managing, and influencing their online reputation. Going beyond the traditional solicitation techniques employed by most in the industry, customers engage at key points in the retention cycle, when positive experiences are most likely to be captured and negative experiences can be quickly addressed.

"From the beginning, we ventured outside the box and took a different approach to reputation management," noted Michael Sos, product manager at AutoRevenue. "Unlike so many who focus on SEO content creation or simply creating a place to collect reviews, this reputation management solution is about connecting with customers at the right time in the lifecycle and influencing the response".

Click to expand...

Brice Englert, general manager at AutoRevenue added, "The new online environment is providing a small number of customers with unprecedented access to share their experience with a large population of potential customers. It is imperative that car dealerships embrace a proactive approach to not only tracking but influencing what is being shared about their stores online."

This is the latest communication channel to be added to AutoRevenue's extensive arsenal of managed marketing services. It further increases the quantifiable results generated by sending the right message to the right customer through the right channel at the right time.

About @utoRevenue

@utoRevenue (www.autorevenue.com), a division of Dominion Enterprises, is based in Lee, MA. As a first-mover in permission-based email marketing solutions for retail auto dealerships, @utoRevenue has evolved to offer a complete line of marketing services including email, email collection, online appointment scheduling, direct mail, retention and reputation management, voice messaging, and e-newsletters.

About Dominion Dealer Solutions

Dominion Dealer Solutions helps car dealers attract, retain, and service customers for life. Dominion Dealer Solutions products include: lead generation through IFMG; customer relationship management tools through AVV, Autobase, and @utoRevenue; websites through Dealerskins and XIGroup; and specialized data aggregation, management, and reporting services through Dealer Specialties, Cross-Sell, The DataCube, and DataOne Software. These businesses serve more than 60 percent of auto dealers nationwide. Learn more at Automotive Software & Technology | Dominion Dealer Solutions. Dominion Dealer Solutions is a division of Dominion Enterprises, a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.

With the 2011 NADA convention around the corner it dawned on me that a lot of Dealerships are leaving their future at the dealership this year.

This might get a little cryptic but stick with me here.

• Do you have an inventory stocking & merchandising manager?
  
• Do you have someone in charge of all your newspaper ads, radio spots, or TV reach?
  
• Do you have someone who solely looks at CRM and the processes it promotes?
  
• Do you have an in-house trainer?

I'm asking if you have one individual for each of these rolls?  Chances are, you don't.  And the truth is, you probably don't need to.  You don't need to because many of these items are things your traditional management, GM's or Executives are fairly well versed in (maybe I'm reaching with this statement).

So, why do you have an Internet manager?  A BDC?  An eCommerce Director?  I bet you have, at least, someone who is solely dedicated to your online presence.

Let's turn the clock back to roughly 1995 when the "consumerNet" got started.  In 1995 your Internet person was probably still in grade school.  16 years later that person has a ton of Internet experience.  She or he grew up with the consumerNet.  Your current GM's and Executive Staff grew up with the newspaper, books, TV, and radio as their information hotspots and are experts in those mediums.  Tomorrow these won't be the people in charge of the dealership; the "Internet kid" will be.  Tomorrow there shouldn't be a need for an Internet Manager or eCommerce Director because they will be the GM's and Executive Staff who know the modern digital mediums, like your current management team knows the "traditional" ones.

The sales and service staff of tomorrow will be adept at using email, text messaging, and social media'ing.  Just as you trust your current sales and service staff with your phones (well....maybe you shouldn't trust them with your phones), the younger generation will be able to handle your Internet Leads.....if Internet Leads are still around tomorrow.

I'll get to the point. NADA has become a trade show mostly focused on digital.  The dealership attendance is mostly made-up of decision makers with only a handful bringing their Internet person.  Yes, many of those decision makers are making fantastic strides to understand digital better; however, I have to ask some of you why you're leaving your future management back at the dealership?  Why?  To save a buck?

P.S.  I know my regular audience is not who I am speaking to right now.  If you are being left behind this year, take this argument to your boss.